A majority of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) see digitization as an opportunity for greater sustainability in their own operations. This is the result of a representative SME survey by the Wallenhorst-based marketing research institute Produkt + Markt. The survey was commissioned by the nachhaltig.digital competence platform, which is based at the DBU and the Bundesdeutscher Arbeitskreis für umweltbewusstes Management (B.A.U.M., Hamburg).
With reference to the German government's Digital Summit at the end of November, DBU Secretary General Alexander Bonde presented the first results from this "nachhaltig.digital monitor.2020" in advance at the 2020 Annual Conference of the Digital Summit Initiative (DIV) and "nachhaltig.digital". According to the results, most respondents rate the level of digitization of their own company as average (38 percent). It is seen as "high" by 27 percent and "very high" by 16 percent of the companies surveyed.
Digitization as an opportunity for greater sustainability
55 percent of the SMEs surveyed see digitization as an opportunity for greater sustainability in their own operations. In the group of companies with 50 to 499 employees, i.e. the classic SMEs, the figure is as high as three quarters. In addition to better access to knowledge and faster process flows, the majority of all companies surveyed see high to very high potential in the more efficient use of resources (72 percent), more transparent supply chains (62 percent) and lower energy consumption (51 percent).
Still a lack of knowledge
The survey also reveals further need for action: Around two-thirds of respondents state that there is still a lack of knowledge, practical examples and approaches to solutions for using digitalization for a more ecological way of doing business. DBU Secretary General Bonde: "The "nachhaltig.digital" competence platform is working on this deficit: companies can easily network here, find information on practical solutions in a collection of "nachhaltig.digital building blocks" and exchange information on good practice examples and innovations. “
For the "sustainable.digital monitor.2020" survey, 500 telephone interviews were conducted with decision-makers in the field of digitalization in small and medium-sized enterprises from June 10 to July 30 of this year. An overall publication will follow shortly. First results at: https://nachhaltig.digital/blog/1123
Translated with Deepl.
